Wine Mixed With Blood
by Adieu
Summary: Another one of my Vincent x Tifa. This one is a little more dark, and this has become my main story. I will definately be finishing this one. Look for my other story as well, Never Shed A Tear. ENJOY!
1. Thoughts Of A Demon

Wine Mixed With Blood

Chapter One : Thoughts of a Demon 

Four years have passed since he had anyone in his company. Four years have passed since he helped a few young warriors kill his own son and save the world. The sky was of an orange-red, much lighter than the color of eyes, the darkness of his soul. The smell of a metallic liquid could be smelled in the still air. Vincent gazed at his dead victim. It was a middle-aged woman who wasn't even worthy of living in this world. But then again, neither was he. He could still hear her screams in his ears, her desperate cries for help, her tortured call, and most importantly the excitement he felt when he felt her beating pulse. 

He had never meant to hurt anyone, never meant to kill aynone. Every single night when the pale moon arose he would be thirsty again. Oh, so thirsty that he couldn't contain his desire, and his inner demon would overtake his body and soul. He felt it's desire, pleasure, and malicious glee with each of it's every victim. He wasn't a vampire, oh no. He was much more than that, he was a demon living in sin. His thin lips curled to a smirk, a trickle of blood gently cascaded down his pale skin. His eyes were like his victim's blood, crimson and tempting. He sat in the middle of the field, the moon already high in the sky. He had his morsel for the night, and for now he was satisfied. 

He had stayed away from any human contact because they would most likely end up his victim anyhow. He gazed at the moon for what seemed like an eternity, and his thoughts were as dark as the night had become. The demon inside him would sleep soon, and he would too. Tire and weary would soon collaspe upon him, and he would drift in yet another painful dream of memory. _Lucretia.._he thought bitterly. It's funny how bitterness could mix with sweetness so easily. He had no desire to have relationships with humans anyhow. They were all too talkative, and careless. They are much better when their hearts were beating in his very palm. He smirked once again at his thoughts.

He had become much more cold in the past four years. He didn't remember the last time he had actually smiled sincerely for anyone. He couldn't remember when he felt warmth of another being. He couldn't remember anything besides his own sins and desires. He had never chose to be this way. He felt guilt and utter despair once the demon inside him rested, and felt the pain for the ones he had previously killed…not even remembering who they were. He seldom wanted to remember. He hated to admit it, but his only comfort was when the demon took over his mind, body, and soul. It was then that he forgot all pain, and only felt desire and pleasure. 

He made his way to his victim, and looked at her with pity. She was a lowly prostitute, and it was just too bad that tonight she had tried to tempt him. Her fake blonde hair was rumpled with dirt now, and her makeup was a mess. She wasn't much of a fight for him, for he was much too strong. He stroked her cheek lovingly, remembering that she had filled his hunger. Another sin he would have to live with the rest of his life he thought. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, and let the guilt wash over him like a tidal wave. It bathed him in pain and loneliness. He looked at the moon and shuddered. It was that very moon that made his hunger go wild, and that very moon that brought bittersweet dreams to him as it went down. 

__

Tired of life..

Tired of fate..

He re-opened them and shuddered once again with pain. This was unexplainable to him. After he had fed on his victims, and enjoyed devouring their life blood, he would be overwhelmed with sudden pain. Perhaps it was guilt, or perhaps the demon inside him wanted him to taste his victim's pain as he fed on them. The demon lived inside his very soul; it lived inside the dark and sinful soul of Vincent Valentine, former turk….former human.

Vincent closed his eyes again tightly, and arched his back, straining his neck to the moon. He made a cry of self-hate and sorrow. The wind blew fiercely as if it knew…as if it knew that there was a malicious being in it's world. As if it knew that inside Vincent Valentine lived an evil creature, created by an evil human…Hojo.

End of Chapter One.

[ author's note : Hi! I'm sorry this one is kind of short, Chapter Two will most likely be much longer. This is one fic I'm definitely going to finish. I hope you like this one, and please review! I want to see if you all think I should write more or not! I'm still working on Never Shed A Tear, but this one is my main story for now. Thanks for reading! Bye! ]

note - SquareSoft characters are not mine, and the story of FFVII is not mine either. Don't sue me, because I don't even have a penny to spare. Lol, buhbai.


	2. The Broken Hearted

Wine Mixed With Blood

Chapter Two : The Broken-Hearted 

Uncomfortable silence fell upon the silent room, and only the dripping of leaking water droplets could be heard. It was all that kept the both of them from going crazy at the moment. Neither of them said a word, neither of them wanted to.

"I'm sorry Teef. I have to go..I have to go find her." The mako-eyed ex-soldier said, breaking the silence.

"This is crazy! You're basing this on a DREAM!?" Tifa exclaimed in hopelessness.

"Teef, c'mon ..I don't want to argue again..you're my best friend.." Cloud said, dragging on the word 'friend.'

They had been living together for four years now as a couple, and now he is using the word 'friend' once again in four years. He knew what he was doing was hurting Tifa, but he couldn't help it. His love for Aeris never died, and he often yearned for her. Tifa had always been there for him, but he had loved her as his sister. The dreams he had been having about Aeris made it hard for him to forget. But last night's dream was unlike any other's. He remembered it so very clearly.

[ dream flashback ]

"Cloud..please come save me!" Aeris's gentle voice whispered.

Suddenly a beautiful place came into view. Flowers bloomed everywhere and the grass was soft and lucious. He blinked twice trying to snap himself out of this dream, but he couldn't. It felt and looked so real.

"Ae..Aeris?" He asked in a childlike voice.

"Yes. It's me. Please come look for me, I've missed you so." Aeris's voice said.

[ end of dream flashback ]

"Best friend..? .." Tifa asked quizzically.

She wanted to break down into tears, wanted to scream at him how much he loved her and how he could do this to her. But what use would that be? She already saw it. She already saw the love in his eyes, the love that wasn't meant for her. She stared emotionlessly into the darkness. They sat across from each other, with no light in the dark room. Her ruby-colored eyes were glazed over, and she didn't know what else to say to the man she had loved for so long. The air was becoming haunting and it was as if they were two strangers.

"I'm going now Tifa." Cloud told her, hoping to get some sort of response.

There was nothing but silence.

"…Take care." Cloud whispered. Those would be the last two words he would say to her.

He waited for what seemed like forever, but in reality was only a second and headed out the door. Tifa didn't even look after him, she was still sitting there…staring into dark nothingness. She heard the door softly shut, and muttered three words that she regretted saying to him two years ago.

"I…love you." 

A teardrop fell from her eye, and it was followed by many other teardrops till it overflowed like rain. No sound escaped from her lips. Inside she was wracked with sobs and cries of despair. But she remained still, letting the tears fall freely from her eyes. She felt as though a thousand knives had stabbed into her, and she was too numb from pain to even flinch. Her thoughts were only filled with questions of why. Why didn't he love her? Why did she love him? Why did he love Aeris? Why did he leave her? Why? Why? Voices filled her head, and soon it was swirling with endless emotions. Still, she remained still. 

They had lived together for four years ever since Meteor fell, and she was happy. She was happy because she was going to spend the rest of her life with Cloud, a man she genuinely loved. Although at times she felt as though he didn't return that love the way she did, his words convinced her that he did. He always told her how much he loved her, and cherished her. Waste of words, she thought bitterly. In his mind, he still had Aeris. They didn't have anyone to turn to except for themselves, but this, Tifa was happy for. Barret had Marlene. Nanaki was resuming his duties. Yuffie returned to Wutai to live her life there. Vincent…she didn't know where he went. 

They were living in Cosmo Caynon in a small little house, and life was simple. He would help Nanaki with duties of protecting Cosmo Canyon, and he would return to a nicely cooked supper from Tifa. It was sweet and simple; they were living a married couple's dream. How could he suddenly just pick up and leave after having a meaningless dream?! It was more than she could bear to think about. To her it would always be meaningless. She didn't know that all it took was a tiny glitter of hope for him to go after Aeris. Guilt and love were still strong in his heart, and that dream had just triggered it. She slowly stood up from her chair as it creaked a little. She remembered that he had promised to fix it. It was a little wooden chair, and was always a little wobbly. Tifa was afraid that one day it would just fall apart, and let her fall. 

"Just like you..Cloud." She whispered.

As she made effort to move her legs to her bed, every muscle in her body ached. Her face was already drenched in tears, and the pain was physically hurting her as well as emotionally. She slowly layed down on her bed, and closed her eyes painfully, feeling the wetness of her eye lashes as she closed them. She wanted to sleep, and just forget everything. She wanted to wake up in the morning, and Cloud would storm in and kiss her good-morning and everything would be alright. She wanted to just wake up to realize that tonight was all a nightmare and nothing more. She wanted the pain to go away. But most of all, she wanted him right next to her again. 


	3. Leaving

Wine Mixed With Blood

Chapter Three : Escape 

Nanaki sighed as he watched the brown-haired beauty stare at the blazing fire for the third day in a row ever since Cloud left. She had starved herself for three days, only drinking water when brought to her, and she slept only when she could no longer cry at night. Although he sympthasized with Cloud for wanting to be with Aeris again, he couldn't help but be disgusted at the way Cloud had just left Tifa like that. He padded towards Tifa, and nudged at her shoulders. 

"Tifa.." Nanaki pleaded, "Please..eat something. You're getting skinnier, and ….." He said, his voice trailing off.

"I'm fine, Nanaki. Please don't worry about me." Tifa answered emotionless.

Nanaki sighed and looked back at Cid and Shera. The couple had come to see how Tifa was doing when they heard about the news. Shera shook her head sadly, her gaze lowered to the ground. Cid sighed in annoyance, but in his heart he felt damn right sorry for the girl. Tifa just continued to stare at the fire, unmoving. Nanaki nudged her once again, and received no answer from Tifa. He padded back to the couple and let out a huge defeated sigh.

"I've tried. It's been four days since she's eaten anything. I'm afraid at this rate, she'll die." He told the couple in a serious tone.

Shera tsked, and walked briskly over to the ruby-eyed young woman, and sat gently down next to her. The old woman put a gentle hand upon Tifa's shoulders, and shook Tifa a little. Tifa barely acknowledged her presence, and just looked over to Shera.

"Tifa, dear. You can't keep doing this to yourself. Cloud's not going to--" Shera begun to say. Tifa cut her off by giving her an icy glare.

"NOT going to come back…right? I know that. Don't remind me. I know he left me. I was there when he did." Tifa said.

Shera was taken back by Tifa's response. Tifa sounded a little too much like a robot, and with the way Tifa is acting…she was no different. Shera shook her head sadly, and stared into the crimson flames. She turned back to Tifa and smiled softly.

"Tifa. You are a brave young woman. You were traumatized by many things, from what I hear of your past. You're still young, you shouldn't be torturing yourself over a man that has left you for another woman. Go find yourself again Tifa. Who knows? There might be another person out there for you…" Shera said.

"Even if there was, I don't want anyone else." Tifa replied bitterly.

"That's up to you, Tifa. I just want what's best for you. You know that you're one of my bestest friends, and Cid's too. If you ever need me..just let me know okay?" Shera said as softly as she could.

Tifa's heart softened a bit by the woman's warmth towards her. Tifa's eyes softened, and she smiled a little towards Shera. Tifa nodded, letting Shera know that she knew what was best for her so none of them should worry about her. Shera shook her head once again, and returned by Cid's side. They watched Tifa for awhile, her back to them.

"I tried, Cid.. I really tried. I know she was listening to me with her ears…but..what's the use if she wasn't listening with her heart?" Shera whispered sadly.

"Damn it, Shera. You tried yer best. Teef'll will know what's best…hopefully. Cloud's a bastard.." Cid muttered under his breath.

"Come now dear, It's time to go home. We'll come back tomorrow to see how she's doing." Shera said.

Cid nodded and they left Cosmo Canyon to Tifa and her thoughts. Nanaki did the same, and returned to his grandfather's laboratory that was left behind.

__

She's right. They're all worried for me..I know. I know what to do now. I have to leave this place…but they must not know. Cloud..how could you leave me like this? Why couldn't you be like this fire in Cosmo Canyon…forever blazing proudly..never burning out..? I'm going to leave…go as far as possible. I'm sorry everyone. 

Tifa let out a huge exhausted sigh and stood up. She was taken back by how wobbly her legs had reacted when she stood up. She was tremendously tired, and she realized that she was really hungry. She didn't have time for food now, she thought as she made her way to her little house. As she packed up her belongings, she looked around the house that contained many what seemed like happy memories that she shared with Cloud. She sighed once again, and let a teardrop fall. Her body shook with weariness just for that one little drop.

She bundled her clothes into a little cloth, and walked out of her house. She looked around at Cosmo Canyon once more, and looked up to the window that was high on the laboratory. The lights were shut down, meaning Nanaki had fallen asleep again. She smiled to herself. Nanaki was good to her and Cloud, she loved the lion dearly. She was quite sad she had to leave him, and her once happy life behind. She thought about her sad memories as she took the last step of Cosmo Canyon, and left..letting her memories trail behind.

Where was she going to go? She didn't know. All she knew was that she had to leave, and do what Shera had said. She smiled sadly as she thought of the old couple; Cid and Shera. That should've been her and Cloud. More teardrops. They should've grown old together. Tifa felt so weary and tired, and she needed sleep again. _No.._she thought and shook her head. She had to continue walking until she found a village where she could stop and rest. An ironic thought crossed her mind. What if she met Cloud on the way while she was travelling? She knew that he was looking for Aeris, perhaps they would meet. Perhaps when they saw each other, she would tell him how she had felt when he left her.Maybe..this was the reason why she had decided to leave in the first place…

End of chapter three.

[ Author's Note : Not very like Tifa at all. I should've prolly made her 'hide' her pain and be optomistic. But hey this is the last straw for her ^_^ Don't worry..Vincent x Tifa action coming up soon!! ]


	4. The First Encounter

Wine Mixed With Blood

Chapter Four : The First Encounter 

The sky in Cosmo Canyon was crimson red just as it had always been. She sighed deeply, and kept walking east. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care. 

__

Where could Cloud be wandering off to? ..What am I thinking? I left to forget about him. Why do I still feel this way for him? I want to stop feeling this way…

Tifa felt teardrops falling down her cheeks again. She looked back to the high Cosmo Canyon, and it was only a speck away. She hadn't gotten off the continent, but she was getting close to. She had no idea that she was travelling pretty fast, her need to get away somehow overtook her body and pressed her on further. Every muscle in her body ached and yearned for rest, but she ignored her pain and kept going. She felt as though she could never stop as though continuing on would relieve her of her pains. With each step she took, she would glance back at Cosmo Canyon and another teardrop would fall.

It wasn't long until she came to a stream. The cerulean waters tempted her, and so she decided to take a rest and refresh herself. While she was drinking the water and washing her face, she noticed her reflection in the mirror. Her once creamy white skin is now ghostly pale, her eyes dull and weary, her once silky smooth hair was now rumpled and limp, and most of all she noticed that she had gotten so much skinnier. She felt a cry escape her lips, and she broke down into a sob. She felt her fists slam into the water, and she felt her soul being ripped into two. 

Every advice she had given to girls when she was young bore into her head. Advices to not let men control their lives, and never to accept pain from them. She now realized why the young girls had looked up at her with sorrowful eyes. She now knew that they couldn't help it. She now knew that your mind had nothing to do with your heart. Waves of realization hit her like a lightning bolt; she realized that Cloud couldn't control his heart either. She slammed into the peaceful waters again, watching the waters ripple under her strength through wet eyes. If she hadn't grown so weak, she would've permantly damanged the whole stream by now.

She stood up slowly, looking around her surroundings. In front of her was a small forest with patches of lucious green trees. This was her next destination, she decided. She quickly picked up her small package of belongings and crossed the stream to the forest. The rocks that served as a bridge were slippery, and a pang of fear pierced her heart when she slipped. She laughed at herself when she realized that the stream wasn't even deep. 

Whilst she entered the forest, she realized that this wasn't a small forest at all. Strange, just a minute ago she knew that this forest was much more smaller. Now it had become simliar to a vast jungle. Dark, jade trees were everywhere. Something about the forest made chills run up and down her spine, and she shivered. It had become more chilly, and her apparel wasn't enough for her. She turned around to head back, no way was she going to go through here. She stopped in her tracks and gasped. There was no way out. The clearing that she was sure she had just been in had disappeared. Now she was just surrounded by endless leaves and trees. She felt dizzy.

"Where..am I? I..knew..I was sure that .." Tifa murmured to herself in disbelief.

She knelt down and opened her package of belongings to bring out a small sweater she had packed, and put it on. She was still cold. She realized that the chill air had nothing to do with temperature, this forest was most frightening and it had brought goosebumps all over her body. 

Suddenly she heard a deafening screech. She whirled around, and she was face to face with a creature that didn't seem at all too friendly. It lashed out at her, but her fast reflexes allowed her to jump back quickly. She dropped her belongings, and put up her fist. She hadn't been in a fight in a long time, and now was a good time to brush up on her skills, she thought with confidence. She felt heat rising up her chest, and she lunged at the creature with a techinique called, 'Beat Rush'.

The creature howled, and she knew with fear that it wasn't howling with pain. Her eyes narrowed again, and concentrated on what the creature would do next. She didn't want to waste her energy on attacks that didn't work as well on beast. The beast jumped towards, and waved it's big paw at her neck, knocking her to the ground. She landed with a thud against the ground. She stood up slowly and concentrated all her energy on her fists. She looked up with determination and let out her most powerful technique, 'Seventh Heaven'.

The creature cried out in pain, and collasped. But as it went down, it's large paw had found it's way to Tifa's head and had knocked her out with a swift movement. She fell, drowsiness taking over her. The pain in her head was unbearable, and she wanted it all to end right there. She thought of everyone she knew. Cid, Shera, Vincent, Yuffie, Nanaki, Reeve, and most of all she thought of Cloud. She lay there on the ground, unmoving until she felt another presence approach her. 

'_Oh great..I'm going to be eaten alive. ..'_ She thought bitterly.

She felt strong hands lift her up, and the scent of blood filled her nostrils. A feeling of disgust washed over her as she felt the taste of the blood's smell roll over her tongue like silver metal. She wondered what was carrying her and why, but she couldn't open her eyes. She felt so weak, and her body felt numb. She leaned against whoever that carried her, and felt the soft cloth press against her cheek. Darkness overcame her.

End of Chapter Four.

[ Author's note : Chapter Five coming up soon. Thanks for reading! Sorry this chapter was so short! ]


	5. Solitude Meets Company

Wine Mixed With Blood

Chapter Five : Solitude Meets Company 

Vincent frowned as he peered down upon the sleeping form in his arms. He recongnized her as the former AVALANCHE member, Tifa Lockheart. She was lucky that he didn't encounter her at night when he was out, "hunting". He sighed in annoyance. He should've left her there, but monsters dwelled along here; they would surely make a good meal out of her. He stopped in his tracks. So would he. He shook his head out of his thoughts, and continued on until his dark mansion came into view.

He had made a fortune from Shinra after the Meteor Incident, and after workers put up this impressive shelter for him; his demonic presence attracted creatures to this place. They never dared to face him, for they knew he was even deadlier than they were. Why he was saving this girl, he did not know, but he sure as hell wouldn't let her to lay there in open danger. Afterall, she was his accomplice once. 

The mansion was very impressive indeed. It's surroundings were covered by dark huge trees, and the closer one got to it, the darker it got. Even if it was broad daylight, the atmosphere around the mansion was haunting and ghostly. He made several switft leaps, and entered into the house. He made no effort whilst moving in the darkness. He had put up no lights in the house; he preferred darkness over light. He turned the knob to one of his many empty rooms, and layed Tifa down upon the bed.

He looked at her with a look of amuse on his face. His hands reached down to brush a strand from her eyes, but stopped once he realized what he was doing. He let his hands drop to his sides, and briskly turned around and exited the room. He locked the door. Not because he wanted to keep Tifa there, but because he didn't want anyone entering the room at night. Anyone, meaning him. He looked out the huge glass windows that appeared everywhere in the mansion. Once he saw the moon, the heat rose up his chest and he quickly ran out of the mansion, and into the night.

-xx--xx--

Tifa opened her eyes slowly. It felt as if she was lifting weights with her eyes, and when she finally did, she met blurred blackness. Once her vision cleared, she looked around the room. It was plainly dark, and the only light that was provided for her was the moon. She was confused. Had the owner of his mansion saved her? She leaned back on her soft pillow, and she acknowledged the soft, lucious, white bed that she was in. She closed her eyes and fluttered them open again. The smell that filled her nostrils made her stomach turn. Blood.

She felt fear leap into her throat, and she swallowed hard. She remembered faintly that she had smelled the odor of blood when she was being carried by the mysterious person. Was it even human? Who knows? The forest was full of evil creatures so how could she be so sure that her saviour was human? Her confused thoughts were soon interrupted by a deep distance thud. She sat upright on her bed with abnormal spped; fear rising in her heart. 

She wanted to scream, and wanted to run out of the place. But half of her wanted to stay on this warm, safe bed and hide under the covers like a little girl. All her monster bed-time stories came back to her, and her eyes filled with innocent childish fears. She swung her feet over the bed, and placed them on the cold wooden floor. She shivered, and padded softly to the door. Her eyes widened in horror. It was locked. Whoever it was, probably tried to keep her in there for god knows WHAT reason. She slumped to the floor, and closed her eyes hopelessly.

Thud.

Tifa jumped at the next thud she heard, and pressed her ear to the door. Now there was silence. This was all Tifa could bear. She stood up, and aimed her foot at the door. She kicked it down, damaging the door to some extent so that she could exit. The darkness made her feel oh-so dizzy, and her head was spinning with the black night. The hallway was empty, and it had no windows whatsoever. She extended her arms to grab onto anything, but all she felt was still air. She made her way to the malls, and made her way into the huge living room. The living room was humongous with classic detailed furniture. Oak chairs surrounded a classic red wooden table, and four windows rose high on the ceiling walls. The moon shone down upon her, and provided little light. 

It was then that her martial arts skills to read auras told her that another presence was in the room. Her heart pounded against her chest, and she comtemplated on whether she should turn around slowly or turn around to fight. She listened to the figure behind her, the breathing was abnormal and the footsteps were deep and slow. Tifa's breath quickened, and she whirled around quickly. She gasped when she met crimson orbs in the shadow. The darkness cleared, as the shadow grew and a figure stepped out.

"Vincent…?!" Tifa exclaimed, gasping in shock. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect Vincent to be here, and she never expected to meet him again. 

"It's been awhile, Tifa." He answered huskily. 

This would be an interesting night, afterall.

End of chapter five.

[ author's note : okay okay, so the chapters are bit short..lol ^_^ thanks for reading. ]


	6. You've Changed

Wine Mixed With Blood

Chapter Six : ..You've Changed 

Tifa gulped. She wondered if the person in front of her was just an illusion or truly the Vincent that she had known in her journey. She smiled meakly, slightly trembling. His posture was stiff, and he remained stationary. She realized that this was becoming an awkward situation, scary even; she reached out for his hands and shook them slightly.

"It's been a while Vincent, It's great to see you again!" Tifa said hastily, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them.

Vincent, obviously surprised by the touch of her hand, snatched it away. His eyes narrowed in a protective manner then relaxed again into a stone-cold expression. She chuckled nervously, and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. 

He studied her face through his expressionless eyes. She had changed, he thought. He didn't bother asking her why she was looking so incredibly thin and sickly. The blonde, spikey hair man flashed in his mind. He smirked a bit. She didn't look bad, just weak. After her much deprived sleep, she didn't look quite as attractive as she really was. His abnormal abilities allowed him to smell the blood lurking in her veins. They hinted that she was going to die if she had kept this up. All that didn't touch his heart one bit.

"I'm sorry…It was just a handshake.." Tifa murmured, her head lowered in an embarrassment.

"I'm not use to such…contact." Vincent said with a wave of his hand.

Tifa shifted her weight uncomfortably. She looked up and she met his eyes for what seemed like an eternity captured into one second. Her wine colored eyes mixed with his blood-like eyes, both filled with unknown pain. She quickly diverted her eyes to the window pane. It's smooth glassy surface reflected the moon's pale yellow light upon the silent room. She quickly pasted a thin smile, and turned to Vincent, whose face didn't look too happy to see her. She was about to open her mouth to say something, but Vincent interrupted her.

"You should leave." Vincent said sharply.

"…I'm sorry. I have nowhere to go for now..and.." Tifa said, taken back by Vincent's rudeness.

He had changed. He didn't use to be so cold and cruel. Now it was like he was just a creature with no emotions or sympathy. Tifa shuddered, not because of the chilliness in the room, but from the coldness that Vincent emitted from him. 

"It's not safe for you here." Vincent added quickly, interrupting Tifa for the second time.

"Then..how is it that you can stay here?" Tifa asked with curiosity.

Vincent remained silent and just gave her a look that meant more than words. Tifa shivered, suddenly having fear for the man in front of her. She shuffled her feet, and remained silent. She couldn't think of anything else to say to him. He obviously wanted to leave as soon as possible. He wasn't the only man in her life that had wanted her out, she thought sadly. Vincent let out a sound that sounded like a defeated sigh, and turned around. He raised his hand that gestured to her that she could stay.

"You can stay Tifa, please feel free to. I have a few…'rules' though." Vincent said.

"I can't stay where I'm not wanted…" Tifa said softly.

Vincent turned around and narrowed his eyes to look into hers.

"If you want to be wanted, this isn't the place for you. If you wanted a place to stay for a short time, then do. I have plenty of spare rooms. Just make sure to lock your door when the moon comes up. If you decide to neglect that one little fact then that's up to you and your own safety." Vincent said. Tifa looked up at him with confusion.

"Just do it if you want to live, Tifa." Vincent said simply.

She smiled, and muttered a thank you to him. "I have to get my sleep.." Vincent told her. She nodded slowly, and walked away to her room.

Vincent stalked quickly to his own room, his cape flapping behind him with every step he took. He collapsed upon his soft bed, and stared up at the ceiling. He was exhausted, but sleep didn't overcome him as quickly as it should've. He didn't care. He didn't want his usual dreams to haunt him again. Why wouldn't anyone just let him be? Now he couldn't even stay awake, because now he had a reason to. He licked his lips where blood had stained it, and closed his eyes. 

It had been four years since she had seen him again. Tifa layed awake on the bed that she had chosen. She peered at the locked door, and glanced back up at the ceiling. He had become colder and more silent. She would only stay for a few days, and leave as soon as possible. It was obvious that he didn't want her there. From the look in he had given her earlier meant that there was more to him than the human eye, and she didn't really want to find out. She decided it was best not to tell him about the door she had damanged in the other room, and she would make sure to thank him for saving her. IF it was him.

End of chapter six

[ Author's note : I'm getting slower with updates by the day. Please feel free to R + R!!! Comments r alwaiz welcome, and as flames are of course, laughed at. ^_^ Chapt seven will be coming up next! Watch out for my next story : The Flower's Sacrifice! It centers Aeris..even though I hate her, it's a nice one. ^_^ ]


	7. Ended With An Apology

Wine Mixed With Blood

Chapter Seven : Ended With An Apology 

Tifa woke up groggily with the help of her hungry stomach. It growled commanding to her that it was devastatingly starved. She stirred slowly, and rose out of her bed. She looked around the room that Vincent had reluctantly let her stay in. It was dusy and the rays of sunlight revealed the specks of dust floating in thin air. She made her way to the creaky, wooden door and unlocked it. The knob turned easily, and seemed as if it was going to break off. 

__

'Just how old is this mansion anyways…?' Tifa wondered.

She groaned slightly, realizing that she had absolutely no idea where the kitchen was. This place was huge! She looked around the hallway, and she noticed that not a single sound could be heard. Was Vincent even home? She walked more steps and came to a large place that looked simliar to a dining area. Her ruby eyes drifted over to a large counter table top to find some bread, cheese, meat , and a drink along with a note. She took notice of the food, and her stomach growled again. She picked up the note with her timid hands, and read it.

__

There is some food here that should sustain you till tomorrow. You shouldn't wander out into the forests often. Once you can leave this place, I'll provide adequate transportation for you. 

If this place was so dangerous, why is Vincent willing to live here? What kind of money does he have? His living style extremely confused her. This didn't seem like the man that she had traveled with at all. To her, he was now a big mystery that she was all too relunctant to solve. She took a hold of some of the food, and started eating. She didn't realize that she had grown so hungry. Afterall, she had starved herself for almost four days now. Her thoughts were too busy consuming pain to acknowledge her humanly needs. She looked down upon the black marble counter top. It was a little dusty, but she could still see her reflection pretty well.

Her eyes were dull, and obviously showed her lack of sleep. Her face was pale, and looked as if she was ill. Tifa dropped her food, and brought her hands to her face. She never felt so ugly about herself in all her life. When Cloud was living with her, men of all status had looked at her hungrily. She could as well be called the most beautiful girl in the world. When Cloud left, everyone shook their heads sadly and wondered what power could lead him away from such a gorgeous creature such as Tifa Lockheart. 

Tifa's beauty surpassed Aeris by far, and yet Cloud had yearned for her. His regret and guilt for the ancient had disguised itself into love and had infested into his heart until he had reasons to go after her. She felt her eyes moisten again, and she hastily wiped them off. Despite that she was alone, she shrugged her shoulders and smiled cheerfully as if trying to fool herself that she was happy. She wondered if she could go about the mansion and clean it for Vincent. She sighed heavily, and realized that this place was all too big for her to clean. Confirming that, she finished her food and decided to explore the place.

[ Meanwhile..]

With a trembled gasp, Vincent awoke from the horrid dream. The lid on his coffin flew open, and he sat upright. The reason why he slept in a coffin was not what the pathetic humans thought when they see vampire movies, but because he had grown accustomed to it. Any other bed was quite uncomfortable to him. His eyes darted around the room, sweat glistening from his forehead. He sighed heavily, and layed back down. His abnormal sensitive ears picked up noise coming from outside. He knew it was Tifa, and stayed relaxed inside his room. He hoped she wouldn't bother him to thank him for the food she had gotten on his way home from a 'late midnight snack'. He smirked, and climbed from his coffin. 

He made his way to his ancient looking piano, and sat down upon the stool in front of it. The piano was made of rich, dark wood. The keys were of a pearl white, and once Vincent's nimble hands tapped upon it, a pretty melody escaped into the air. Vincent started playing a sad, enchanting melody. His eyes were closed, and his thoughts were concentrated on the melody. This was something he did to try and forget the pain of living.

[ Day turns into night …]

Tifa was amazed at how large Vincent's mansion was. She looked outside the paned-glassed window and gasped. It had already turned to night, and she had no idea how to return to her room. His mansion was like a maze that she kept walking through, and it seemed as if it would never end. She walked furthur down the hallway she had found herself in, and heard a faint noise that sounded like music. She walked closer and closer until she was sure she could make out soft piano music playing. She came a stop until she found herself in front of a large, red, oak door. It had double sides that you could easily push through. 

She tapped it gently, and it swung open just a little. She peered inside and saw a closed-eyed vincent playing the haunting melody. His hands moved in grace, and with every key he stroked came a deliciously beautiful sound. Her gaze lingered on his face, and she smiled unconciously to herself. He looked so beautiful. He was like a piece of art that was masterfully painted by delicate strokes of a brush. His lips were crimson, and his skin was pale white. His image was utterly and hauntingly..beautiful. 

The moon rose high upon the sky, and Vincent stopped abruptly with a frightening strain of keys. He shuddered, and his eyes fluttered open. Tifa gasped. She was sure those were inhuman eyes, and stepped backwards. His eyes darted around the room at the slightest hint of noise. His hunting instinct had kicked in, and he hoped Tifa was in her bed safetly tucked in. He licked his lips hungrily, and his eyes peered up at the moon. The demon inside him smiled wickedly.

Tifa's heart beat so fast that all she wanted to do right there and then was run. Her legs failed to do so, and she stumbled backwards making an awful lot of noise. That was a huge mistake. She could hear the thud, thud, thud of Vincent's footsteps as it neared her. She gasped in fear, her eyes widening. She saw Vincent, and in a flash he was upon her like a frantic animal.

"Vincent..wha…what are you doing..st..stop." Tifa pleaded through stutters.

Vincent's eyes narrowed into a catlike stare, and gazed deep into her eyes. His look sent shivers down her spine, and she tried desperately to look away. Vincent smiled gleefully, and sniffed the air about her. The aroma that fed off her was wonderfully delicious to his senses, and he tried to take in as much as he could. This was going to be the most suculant victim he had in a long time. His hands grasped her chin, and turned her to him once again. 

Tifa knew at the instant that she looked deep into his eyes that Vincent wasn't there anymore. This ..this thing was completely strange to her, and she knew that it wasn't Vincent. She wanted to cry so hard, but all her senses failed and all she could do was look into his eyes. She could hear his heavy breathing, and hot breath on her face. Every inch of his body was on her, and she had nowhere to escape.

"Tsk tsk..didn't I tell you to be in bed?" He asked in a mocking voice.

"Stop! You're not Vincent!" Tifa screamed as she unsuccessfully tried to look away from his piercing eyes.

The demon pinned her down furthur upon the floor, and licked his lips once again. Her struggle was also tempting to him; the life force within her was inviting. He lowered his head to her neck, and took in her scent. Tifa could feel his breath on her neck, and it sent chills down her spine. She tried to push him off, but his strength was stronger than hers. All she could do now was plead with all her might, and hope Vincent would win over this demon.

"Vincent! Please…you have to hear me! PLEASE VINCENT..please…" Tifa cried out through sobs, tears were starting to flow from her eyes.

The demon stopped abruptly and looked at her through eyes filled with mock sympathy. His lips curled into an evil grin, and lowered his head once again.

"Vincent..please, you have to! PLEASE! It's Tifa..please ..don't..!!!!" Tifa screamed.

"Vincent..isn't..Vincent anymore." A deep voice said. It sounded more like a growl.

"NO!!!! VINCENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE! You HAVE to win over this..p-please…" Tifa said, her voice getting weak. 

The demon decided to play with her a little. He bit a little of her neck, and decided just to sip awhile before he devoured her. Through her sobs and cries, she could feel the demon's inhuman act on her. She felt disgusted as she smelt her own blood, and she wanted to hurl him off her. 

"Vincent! VINCENT! Come back! Vincent!" Tifa screamed over and over.

The demon looked up once again to stare at her. Their eyes intwined into each other. Tifa's eyes pleaded with his, and something inside him stirred. A surge of something warm overcame him; he howled and shook his head wildly. Tifa saw a glitter of hope in the situation and burried her head into his chest.

"VINCENT..yes! I know you're still in there….somwhere..please come back! You can't live like this..you can't!!..you're hurting innocent people.." Tifa said, her voice full of desperation.

She felt the body against her go limp. 

"…I'm..sorry." A familiar voice murmured.

Tifa smiled, relieved. It was vincent. Vincent collapsed upon her, and closed his weary eyes. It had taken a lot of his emotions and strength to fight through and have control over the demon. At that moment he had felt confused. He didn't know how this was happening, but it was. A strange emotion washed over him, and he felt this uncontrollable need to escape. Escape what? He did not know. All he knew was that he had concentrated with all his soul to save Tifa. That's all he knew. All he knew was he had to save Tifa, and apologize.

End of Chapter Seven.

[ Author's Note : Sorry it had taken awhile for me to update this story! Chapter eight will come shortly, I HOPE! LOL Please R&R, those always push me to write more! ^_^ I don't think I'll finish Never Shed A Tear in a LONG time…! *sweatdrops* ^^;;; GOMEN NE…..]


	8. Is It Too Late?

Wine Mixed With Blood

Chapter Eight : Is It Too Late?

Thump, thump, thump. Tifa's heart was racing so fast that she was going to collapse against Vincent's chest right along with him. She searched her mind for what to do. She couldn't leave Vincent lying against her like this, but he was far too heavy for her to carry. She sighed heavily and decided to give it a try anyways. She cautiously moved away under from him, and wrapped one warm around his waist and draped his arm around her shoulders. She limped with great effort towards the bed that was across from the piano. 

'This must be his room…it's..beautiful. Just like in a classical painting..' Tifa thought to herself.

Panting heavily, she managed to haul Vincent on the bed and lay him there. She wearily put her hands on her legs, and tried to catch her breath. The thought that Vincent might awaken to try and kill her again never crossed her mind like it should. She looked at his serene face, and furrowed her brows. He looked so innocent and harmless, but a second ago he tried to kill her. What possesed him to do so? It was as if it wasn't him..no it wasn't him at all. 

She was certain that when he had looked into her eyes, she had seen golden flecks in Vincent's perfect crimson eyes. It was mesmerizing yet at the same time, frightening. She reached a shaky hand out to brush a raven strand of hair from Vincent's eyes. His lips were parted slightly, and his breathing was a little uneven. She sighed, and rolled her eyes a little. Then a realization hit her like a lightening bolt.

…She was falling in love with Vincent.

Her eyes averted to his face once more. She didn't know anything about him, and that little incident had nearly caused her a heart attack. Just as if a tide had washed over her, images of cloud appeared inside her head once again. She felt a sudden twitch of pain inside her heart, and she winced, letting a few teardrops escape from her eyes. 

She wanted some sleep, and her legs were aching as well as her head. But she couldn't leave Vincent alone like this. She let her head droop onto the side of the bed, and closed her eyelids. It only took a few seconds before she dozed off.

Vincent stirred softly in his sleep, and his hand traveled the sheets until it had landed on something silky and soft. _Tifa._ His eyes flew wide open, and glanced down at the sleeping form next to him. He quickly removed his hand from her head, and gazed at her with confusion. What just happened? Images of the incident replayed over inside his head like a projector screen flashing a thousand images. He groaned inwardly, and put a hand to his forehead. 

How was he going to explain this to Tifa? No this would have no solution. She would have to leave right away with no questions asked. His eyes darted to Tifa again, and he found that she was sound asleep. He put a hand on her shoulder gently and shook her. No avail. He shook her again. Nothing. He sighed in annoyance, and layed back down. The demon inside him had gone away for the moment, and he felt pure bliss. He felt so serene, and carefree. He stopped his thoughts, and wondered if Tifa had anything to do with this momentary happiness.

He opened his eyes and looked down upon the sleeping beauty by his side. He slowly turned his head to the attention of his hourglass. It was already noon. Soon the demon will have to stir again. He felt the sheets rustle softly beside him; he whirled hastily to the sleeping form beside him and flinched away.

"Vi..Vincent.." Tifa murmured.

Vincent narrowed his eyes to the girl. She wasn't waking up, but…she was uttering his name. Why would his name be a memory on her tongue? He felt his heart pound inside his chest, and his thoughts drifted to the incident again. His eyes widened. _Have I hurt her…?!!!_ His mind raced, and he felt hungry. He hadn't gotten his meal last night, and it had taken a lot of strength to repress Chaos. His thoughts were interrupted when he realized a pair of scared crimson eyes starring straight into his.

"Vincent….." Tifa uttered softly, backing away.

__

She's frightened of me.

"I..I'm sorry…I.." Tifa started to say, but Vincent sighed and shook his head.

"You must leave at once." Vincent said emotionlessly.

"….."

"Tifa. You must leave. NOW." Vincent repeated again.

His eyes followed Tifa's eyes's path. It trailed upon his arm. Chaos was emerging again. Tifa's eyes widened in horror and fled from the room. Vincent grasped his arm in sudden pain, and screamed out, "RUN!". He closed his eyes for a brief moment, letting Chaos take over his whole entire being and soon , he too fled from the room. After Tifa.

He was hungry, and he was desperate.

Soon he caught up to the brown-haired beauty and pinned her down again. He snarled at her, and she cried out his name. Suddenly he looked at her with confusion, his animal-like eyes searching. Searching for a reason. What did this human-creature have that could possibly stir something deep inside of Vincent? When he was trapped inside Vincent's useless body he had felt something warm, and he was slowly eating him alive. This ..this girl was a threat to him. Suddenly he recoiled. A soft hand brushed against his cheek.

Their eyes met. Chaos knew that Vincent was fighting again. It was Vincent who was staring into her eyes.

Wine mixed with blood.

The melted into each other.

She was desperately trying to reach for him.

He was desperately trying to reach for her.

"Vincent…I don't know what's happening..but I know this isn't you..please…..please.." Tifa murmured through sobs.

Vincent's eyes narrowed to reveal a painful sorrow deep inside him. He couldn't be falling. He can't be drowning again. _Lurcretia…_flashes of white depicted in his mind, and he felt his body go numb. Chaos screamed inside him as he felt the burn of Tifa's warm touch. This was passion. This was desperate love. This was the need of two people for each other.

He could not win.

[ flashback ]

"You can not win, for you can never love again Vincent. You can never break my experiment." Hojo said with a malicious laugh.

[ end of flashback ]

[ flashback ]

"I don't love you Vincent. The child belongs to Hojo now." Lucretia said quietly, her eyes avoiding Vincent's.

[ end of flashback ]

[ image flash ]

"VINCENT!!!…." Tifa screamed

[ End of image flash ]

His eyes dilated and returned to normal size. He looked at the unconcious body in his arms, blood seeping from her neck. He whimpered in fear, and held her close.

It was all he could do for now. He felt her heartbeat slipping from her. 

Did she have a chance…? 

Another sin…another sin…

Chaos had dissolved inside of him and disppeared from reality, but it was too late. 

Author's note : oHhh MAHN! Sorrie this took so long! Omg. ..i was on a writer's block. Flames are welcome..I deserve it =( hehe..Well my writer's block is over, and I'm baaaaak! I'm working on new stories too! So keep tabs on them!! MUAHZ!! Thanks for all those who read my story! Reviews are still welcomed and urged! PLEASE?! Lolz chapt 9 will be up soon! Sorry if it's so short!


	9. We'll Be Okay

Wine Mixed With Blood

Chapter Nine We'll Be Okay 

Vincent shuddered with whimpers. He cupped her face with his hands and mumured her name over and over. She opened her eyes slowly and gave Vincent a weak smile. He had triumphed over Chaos. She reached her hand to touch his cheek.

"…..V..Vincent. I'm cold.." She whispered hoarsely.

He shook off his cloak and wrapped it around her. He brought her up, and with abnormal speed, he fled to her bedroom. He layed Tifa down upon the soft bed and stroked her hair. He ripped off a part of his cloth and wrapped it around her wound. He had no hope left inside him. His body was wracked with pain, and he felt more helpless than before. He flinched accidently when Tifa's hand had found its way on top of his hand.

"Tifa.." Vincent mumbled.

"Shh..I'll be okay. I'll be okay. Get the cure materia…." Tifa said weakly. 

Vincent was amazed by her. She still managed a smile. Weak, but still a gentle smile. He dashed around her room, searching everywhere until a glimmer of green caught his eyes. He grabbed it, and with no hesitation he shouted 'cure3' over and over until he felt his strength slipping from him. He slumped to the floor gasping for breath, and he looked up at Tifa. She was in a deep slumber. She was recovering, green aura emitted from her body.

He stumbled towards where she lay, and sat beside her bed with his head upon her head. He too fell into a deep sleep.

Tifa opened her eyes slowly with great effort. Her throat hurted, and her neck was totally numb. She tried to say something, but no sound came on. A horrible realization hit her. Her voice was destroyed. She couldn't talk anymore. She tried desperately to cry out. She flinched in her bed, and sobbed. Fate had played a cruel joke on her, she could no longer speak. She would no longer be able to tell Vincent what he needed to hear. She couldn't tell him how much she had fallen in love with him. She felt his warm touch, and looked into his eyes. He was awake too. 

He casted his glance downwards, and felt the moisture slipping from his eyes. He uttered a soft appology, and Tifa sobbed uncontrollably. He grabbed her shoulders and looked deep into her beautiful wine eyes.

"You can speak with your heart, your eyes, your breath, your warmth. We'll be okay." Vincent said tremulously.

Tifa's eyes widened in surprise. This was the first time Vincent had voiced his feelings. She collapsed against his chest, and concentrated on his beating heart to reassure her that everything would be okay. They would be okay. As long as his heart continued to beat, she would be okay. She peered up at him with childlike eyes. She was so helpless now. She didn't have anyone but him. He didn't have anyone but her. All they had was each other, and inside their minds they spoke to each other. Through their heart. Through their eyes. Through their breath. And most importantly, through the warm of their embrace.

'We'll be okay'

Their eyes melted into each other, and once again…wine mixed with blood. The bittersweet taste of love.

-The End-

[ Author's note : Whoo! So short huh? Bad ending huh? Should I make a sequel? Please tell me! Reviews please! I'm working on a brand new orginal story that is my own complete orginal idea! MUWAHHA! Err..*cough* err..haha…thanks for reading this story!!!!!!!! Please tell me what you think! =) Thanks for all those who read and kept patient! I really appreciate it, and hope ff.net runs on for a long time! ]


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